Chris Spielman won the 18th annual Lombardi Award as college football's most outstanding linemen or linebacker for 1987. / AP file photo

He grew up in Canton, not far from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and attended Massillon High School, one of the most intense high school football programs in the nation.

He starred as a linebacker at Ohio State, and played in the NFL for 10 years. In the end, he was forced out of the game only by injury.

“Never in the years I coached at Lehman did I see a kid who came close to Chris Spielman,” said Mike Patton, his junior high school coach. “We wouldn’t let him hit the rest of our kids during the week.”

The Spielman family moved to Massillon before their youngest son’s freshman year. Father Charles (Sonny) took a job as a coach, older brother Rick would become the quarterback, and Chris was the budding star.

In 1981, Spielman was the first sophomore to start at Massillon in five years. In his first game, he made the tackle on the first four kickoffs and intercepted a pass. He already was a force on a 7-3 team.

As a junior, he was a halfback on offense and a linebacker on defense, leading the Tigers to the state championship game. Spielman had 23 tackles that day, but Cincinnati Moeller rolled to a 35-14 victory. He was a first-team All-Ohio linebacker and, in January 1983, found national notoriety. Massillon supporters got behind him in a Wheaties “Search for Champions” campaign. Spielman was put on a cereal box before his senior season.

Recruiters needed no introduction. Ohio State coach Earle Bruce and Michigan’s Bo Schembechler were his most ardent suitors. Bruce saw a typical Spielman performance against Massillon Perry, when Chris threw a touchdown pass, snared an interception, and returned a punt 68 yards.

“He was the punter; he was the punt returner; he was the kick-off returner; he did everything,” Bruce said.

Parade Magazine listed Spielman as the nation’s top linebacker, and Armour-Dial named him “Male High School Athlete of the Year.” Street & Smith selected him as one of the top 15 high school players in the nation, and he was a first-team USA Today selection at linebacker.

Ohio State won the recruiting battle, but irritated Spielman when he didn’t earn the start in his first game as a freshman. He stomped around on the sidelines, pleading his case to get into the 1984 season opener against Oregon State.

With the Buckeyes trailing 14-3, Spielman finally entered. He collected 10 tackles, a sack, deflected a pass and forced a critical fumble in a 22-14 win. When the Buckeyes reached the Rose Bowl, he had 15 tackles and recovered a fumble in a tough loss to USC.

In 1986, Ohio State compiled a 9-3 record, highlighted by an emotional upset of top-ranked Iowa. Spielman led the way with 19 tackles, two interceptions and a key fourth-and-1 stop.

“That Spielman boy, he’s a real football player,” former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes said after watching the game.

Spielman was the team’s defensive MVP and a first-team all-conference performer. As a junior, he helped the Buckeyes overcome a slow start to earn a share of the Big Ten title. In a 26-24 loss to Michigan, Spielman had 29 tackles. He was the defensive MVP after returning an interception for a touchdown in a Cotton Bowl win against Texas A&M. This time, he earned first-team All-America honors.

But the 1987 season was a nightmare at Ohio State. The Buckeyes staggered to a 6-4-1 slate, and Bruce was fired. Spielman was the bright light, again earning first-team All-America honors, collecting the Lombardi Award, and placing sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.

The Detroit Lions drafted him in the second round, and he became the soul of Detroit’s defense for eight years.

As a rookie, he set a franchise record with 153 tackles. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1989 and was All-Pro in 1991 when the Lions reached the NFC Championship game. He again helped Detroit reach the playoffs in 1993 and 1994, but it couldn’t get over the hump.

In 1996, he signed as a free agent with Buffalo.

“He came up and put his face really close to mine,” Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson recalled. “He said, ‘Thanks for bringing me here. You won’t be disappointed.’ He didn’t smile. I was a little afraid. He’s the most intense player we’ve had here in 37 years.”

Spielman posted a team-record 206 tackles, but the Bills were bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

When his wife, Stefanie, was diagnosed with cancer, he took a year off to support her. When Spielman returned in 1999, it was with the Cleveland Browns. However, a preseason stinger led to an MRI and doctors advised him to retire.